Wireless protocols such as Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11 define the logical interconnections of portable terminals having a variety of types of communication capabilities to host computers. The logical interconnections are based upon an infrastructure in which at least some of the terminals are capable of communicating wirelessly with another device when located within a predetermined range.
The Bluetooth standard provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, wireless headsets, laptops, PCs, printers, digital cameras, etc. over a secure, globally unlicensed short-range radio frequency. The protocol operates in the license-free ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) band from 2.4-2.4835 GHz. Over time, Bluetooth has become popular for such applications as wireless communication/control between mobile phones and a hands-free headsets. Other applications include wireless networking between PCs in addition to networking between PCs and output devices such as mouse devices and printers.
The IEEE standard for 802.11 is set out in “Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications” and is available from the IEEE Standards Department, Piscataway, N.J. The 802.11 standard permits either IR or RF communications at 1 Mbps, 2 Mbps and higher data rates and performs a medium access technique similar to carrier sense multiple access/collision avoidance (CSMA/CA). The 802.11 standard further provides a power-save mode for battery-operated mobile stations, seamless roaming in a full cellular network, high throughput operation, diverse antenna systems designed to eliminate “dead spots,” and an easy interface to existing network infrastructures.
As both Bluetooth and 802.11 WLANs share the same unlicensed frequency band (i.e., the 2.4 GHz band), this can lead to collisions between the two networks. Accordingly, various needs exist in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.